CONNECTICUT, USA — Welcome to Autumn! We rang in this changeable season at 3:21 this afternoon, but why such a specific time?
The Autumnal Equinox marks the moment that the direct rays of the sun pass over the equator.
If you were standing in the right spot along at the equator this afternoon, you’d have no shadow! Meanwhile, here in Connecticut, our shadows are getting longer each day as the sun is a little lower in the sky.
Over the next few months, that direct sunlight will be in the southern hemisphere as Australia enjoys its spring and summer months.
For us, we get the pumpkin spice weather. We also get our most colorful month as the leaves change over.
In a normal season, peak foliage is usually early to mid-October for most of the state, starting from the hills of northern Connecticut and eventually progressing to the shoreline by around Halloween.
According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), foliage season begins in late September in Connecticut and extends through early November. Peak color is estimated usually to be between October 5 and November 8.
This year, however, peak foliage season may be a few days later than average because of how wet of a summer we had.
In drought years, trees are stressed and tend to change their leaves earlier, but this year, all that rainfall means the trees are healthy.
Dan Amarante is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at damarante@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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